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The moment Roland appeared, the surrounding crowd parted to either side, more than a few of them startled that a dragon-type card spirit had drawn even the Association's vice-president out in person.
Dragon-type cards were simply too rare, and no one wished to pass up the chance to lay eyes on one. On top of that, the spirit's owner hadn't triggered the Capital's airspace defenses, which meant an identity that was anything but ordinary.
"President, do you happen to know who's coming?" An elder on fairly good terms with Roland sidled over to ask.
"Just watch and you'll see." Roland kept up an unruffled front, though inwardly he was quietly grumbling. If I actually knew, would I have come out here myself?
Off to the side, Elise turned her face away, not daring to laugh aloud. Doing so here would only have cost her father his dignity.
Moments later, Red-Eyes Black Dragon descended in a spiral toward the plaza, and the chatter among the crowd rose at once.
"So striking. That deep, lustrous black, those blazing red dragon eyes. I think I'm in love."
"That pressure is no joke. Probably a high-grade Seven-Star. Against a low-grade Eight-Star spirit or fierce beast, it could hold out a good long while."
"Honestly, I'm more curious about its owner. Those two on its back look awfully familiar, especially the fellow."
"Hold on. That's Luke! But he summoned a green dragon at the Youth Training Competition. How has it turned black?"
"This year's Eastern Region exam champion happens to be named Luke too. My kid says he's got a Seven-Star Angewomon."
"The Dragon Knight Dark Magician Girl at the Youth Training Competition, the Angewomon at the exam, and now this dragon that's a Seven-Star at the very least. Doesn't that mean Luke already holds three Seven-Star-class card spirits?"
"Good grief. Are young people this terrifying these days? They're leaving the rest of us no way to live!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon's arrival stirred the plaza to a fever pitch. For most Card Masters, glimpsing a dragon-type card even once in a lifetime was a tall order, so the volume of discussion was considerable.
"So it really is Luke." Watching the youth atop Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Roland felt a jolt of surprise. His daughter's offhand guess had actually come true, which meant Luke very likely did hold a Capital Airspace Pass. And the only explanation for that was that Governor Aldric had given it to him during his visit to Ashenvale.
For the Governor to entrust something as significant as an Airspace Pass to him, he truly does think highly of Luke. Roland marveled inwardly.
The Capital's airspace was a critical strategic point, and the issuance of Airspace Passes was governed by exceedingly strict standards. Not even every resident of the Capital qualified to hold one.
But taking in the sight of Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Roland understood the reasoning behind Aldric's decision. Dual dragon-type cards, paired with an Angel card that could evolve continuously, made for a combination that even Monarch or King Realm Card Masters might struggle to assemble, and all of it concentrated in a single Leader Realm youth. In the entire history of the Eastern Region, such a thing was without precedent.
It came down to potential. One invested before the youth had fully come into his own.
Only, thinking of Luke's talent, Roland's brow furrowed once more. Luke had now pulled so far ahead of Elise that he worried the gap might backfire. Rather than spurring his daughter onward, it risked crushing her under a weight of frustration instead.
"You really do have to make a grand scene every single time." By now Elise had made her way over to Luke and Lyra, and gazing up at that towering dragon, she couldn't quite suppress a flicker of blankness and helplessness deep in her eyes.
Even having crafted a Seven-Star card, the Lethe Spider Lily, during the exam, set against Luke, who possessed both Angewomon and now a Seven-Star dragon-type card, her hopes of catching up had been thoroughly dashed.
Like Lyra, Elise wore a fitted gown today, the two of them cut in nearly identical styles. Lyra's was goose-yellow and ethereal, while Elise's was sky-blue and scholarly, and standing together, the pair formed the second most dazzling sight in the entire plaza, a matched set of sister blossoms.
As for the most dazzling sight, that was obviously Red-Eyes Black Dragon. After all, it was a dragon.
"Your face is all red, Lyra. The two of you didn't get up to anything untoward on the way here, did you?" Noticing the flush on Lyra's cheeks, Elise couldn't resist a bit of teasing.
"Elise!" At that, Lyra huffed indignantly, her cheeks puffing round as she shot Luke a glare. Her face had gone red thanks to Luke's earlier pinching, and now, with Elise's needling layered on top, the color only deepened.
Meeting Lyra's glare, Luke felt not the slightest sting of pressure. If anything, that fierce little look struck him as rather cute. And the instant he made a show of reaching out to pinch her again, Lyra sprang back like a startled rabbit, which left Luke thoroughly amused. This girl didn't rattle easily at all.